Kegon
Kegon (華厳宗) is a school of Buddhism in Japan that is based on the Chinese Huayan school. The Kegon school was most influential during the Nara period (710– 84), when it was patronized the by emperor and his court.[1]
The Huayan teachings were transmitted Japan in 736 when the scholar-priest Rōben (689–773), originally a monk of the East Asian Yogācāra tradition, invited the Korean monk Shinjō (traditional Chinese: 審祥; ; pinyin: Shenxiang; Korean pronunciation: Simsang) to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra at Kinshōsen Temple (金鐘山寺, also 金鐘寺 Konshu-ji or Kinshō-ji), the origin of later Tōdai-ji. When the construction of the Tōdai-ji was completed, Rōben became the head of the new Kegon school in Japan and received the support of emperor Shōmu.[2] Kegon would become known as one of the Nanto Rikushū (南都六宗) or "Six Buddhist Sects of Nanto". Rōben's disciple Jitchū continued administration of Tōdai-ji and expanded its prestige through the introduction of imported rituals.
Kegon thought would later be further popularized by Myōe (1173–1232), the abbot and founder of Kōzan-ji Kegon temple. Myōe combined the Kegon lineage with Tendai and Shingon esoteric lineages.[3][4][5] He was a prolific scholar monk who composed over 50 works.[6] Myōe promoted the practice of the mantra of light (kōmyō shingon) as simple efficacious practice that was available to all, lay and monastic. He also promoted the idea that this mantra could lead to rebirth in Amitabha's pure land, thus providing a Kegon alternative to popular Japanese Pure Land methods.[7]
Over time, Kegon incorporated esoteric rituals from Shingon, with which it shared a cordial relationship. Its practice continues to this day, and includes a few temples overseas.
Another important Kegon figure was Gyōnen (1240–1321), who was a great scholar (who studied numerous schools including Madhyamaka, Shingon, and Risshu Vinaya) and led a revival of the Kegon school in the late Kamakura era.[8] He was also known as a great historian of Japanese Buddhism and as a great Pure Land thinker.[8] His Pure Land thought is most systematically expressed in his Jōdo hōmon genrushō (淨土法門源流章, T 2687:84) and it was influenced by various figures of his day, such as the Jodo monk Chōsai, and the Sanron figure Shinkū Shōnin, as well as by his understanding of Huayan thought.[8]
In the Tokugawa period, another Kegon scholarly revival occurred under the Kegon monk Hōtan (1657-1738. a.k.a. Sōshun, Genko Dōjin) and his disciple Fujaku (1707-1781).[8]
Literature
- Daigan Lee Matsunaga und Alicia Orloff Matsunaga: Foundation of Japanese Buddhism; Vol. I; The aristocratic age. Buddhist Books International, Los Angeles und Tokio 1974. ISBN 0-914910-25-6.
- Thomas Cleary (trans.): The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sūtra (1993). ISBN 0-87773-940-4
- Gimello, Robert ; Girard, Frédéric ; Hamar, Imre (2012). Avataṃsaka Buddhism in East Asia : Huayan, Kegon, Flower Ornament Buddhism ; origins and adaptation of a visual culture, Asiatische Forschungen: Monographienreihe zur Geschichte, Kultur und Sprache der Völker Ost- u. Zentralasiens, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, ISBN 978-3-447-06678-5.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Harvey, Peter (2012-11-30). An Introduction to Buddhism (Introduction to Religion) (p. 226). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.
- ↑ "Kegon". Oxford Reference.
- ↑ Silk, Jonathan A. (ed. in chief) et al. (2019.) Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism Volume II: Lives, pp. 1071-1075. BRILL, Leiden|Boston.
- ↑ Unno, Mark (2004). Shingon Refractions: Myoe and the Mantra of Light, p. 55. Simon and Schuster.
- ↑ Mross, Michaela. ""Vocalizing the Lament over the Buddha's Passing: A Study of Myōe's Shiza kōshiki" | The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies". buddhiststudies.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ↑ Unno, Mark (2004). Shingon Refractions: Myoe and the Mantra of Light, p. 14. Simon and Schuster.
- ↑ Unno, Mark (2004). Shingon Refractions: Myoe and the Mantra of Light, pp. 25-45. Simon and Schuster.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Gimello, Robert M. Ch'eng-kuan on the Hua-yen Trinity 中華佛學學報第 9 期 (pp.341-411)：(民國 85年)， 臺北：中華佛學研究所，http://www.chibs.edu.tw Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, No. 9, (1996) Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies ISSN: 1017─7132.
| This article includes content from Hauyan on Wikipedia (view authors). License under CC BY-SA 3.0. | 
|